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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Running for Ideas Series - Running Mashups to Solve Obesity

While running today, I started thinking about how one could use today's running gadgets to help solve childhood obesity. One could leverage mashups to create special communities for Kids to use running as an outlet to lose weight. NIKE Plus http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/, Garmin http://connect.garmin.com/, Active http://www.active.com/ and others could use their brilliant gadgets and web presence to mashup with LETMOVE.gov http://www.letsmove.gov/. Its a kids technology world, so kids would relate to this idea. For example, NIKEPlus and Apple http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/ could team up with innercity schools and donate their low priced sensor technology and outdated or refurbished 3rd generation ipods to schools. Schools could create local, national, and international challenges with their NIKE Plus or Dailymile http://www.dailymile.com/ web presence to create competitions that would motivate kids. PE teachers, nutritionists, pediatricians could market these competitions in the spirit of solving the obesity crisis with kids. LETSMOVE.gov and Healthcare companies could also be leveraged to promote this similar to the Apple http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series model of the 80s-90's. This mashup would be a win/win for all. Free marketing for companies giving back, healthcare promoting what they should be, educating a healthy life at school, etc... So Run with this Idea! Stay tuned for future Running for Ideas...